Local News – Thursday, June 22nd, 2023
The Salem Memorial Hospital regular board meeting was held Tuesday evening in the hospital library. In the Administrators Report, CEO Wayne Reid reported he is looking into submitting a $16,000 grant for the National Electronic Injury Surveillance system to monitor and report product injury. The Torch grant application to expand cross-collaboration with community partners has been submitted. The MHA licensing survey has been submitted, the new lab interface is now in use and the dialysis unit has achieved a 90 facility score for the ESRD Quality Incentive Program, and the CPSI upgrade for Med Surg will begin implementation on July 14th. Reid introduced the Interim CFO, Kayla Chamberlain, who attended via zoom. James Sample with the IT Department updated the board on the EDIS implementation, LabCorp interface completion, security camera upgrade, and new phone system installation. Reid reported that the clinic architect has completed the planning document for the clinic renovation and the cost is $400,000. This will be part of the $1.6 million request to the state and USDA funding. The board approved an update to the bank signature cards adding Daylon Harrison and Kayla Chamberlain. The board discussed the fact that Phelps Health is now providing transportation to Dent County residents to their hospital without informing the hospital administration. There was a request by the board about doing a patient transportation study as well as looking into the cost of providing this type of service for SMH using grants. The board approved the purchase of a Lennox air conditioner at a cost of $16,000 and an upgrade to the ultrasound hardware and software at a cost of $23,320 for the Radiology Department. Approval of the FY 2023-2024 Budget including Capital Budget expenditures was tabled until the next meeting to allow the board members to have a workshop and gather additional information that was requested. In the Summary of Operations for the month of May, hospital admissions were 106 which included 12 Swingbed admissions with a total of 437 patient census days. In May, there were 1,738 Outpatient Registrations, 1,439 Cardiopulmonary Procedures, 9,191 Lab Tests, 1,362 Radiology Procedures, 773 Rehabilitation Treatments, 41 Surgical Procedures, and 195 Home Health Visits. There were 691 Emergency Room visits with 60 patients being admitted. A total of 213 ambulance runs were made with 142 patients being transported and 71 dry runs. The hospital had an excess of revenues over expenses for May of $114,718 with over $98,543 being a gain from operations. Jodi Gorman gave the Chief Nursing Officer report and said the hospital is looking for a new med/surg director and Home Health Director plus seven other full-time positions. In the Hospital Foundation report, the recent golf tournament raised $13,580 and foundation board member RuthAnn Parker has resigned. The hospital board is looking to fill this vacancy. The “Dancing with the Salem Stars” is scheduled for February 2024 and they are looking for dancers. If anyone is interested, they can call the hospital administration office at 729-6626. The board then went into closed session.
Free meals are being served to children in Dent County again this summer at the Salem Nutrition Site in the Salem Senior Center at 604 North McGrath Lane. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services says the Summer Food Service Program is designed to provide lunch and/or snacks to children living in eligible areas during the summer months. Food is provided to all children that attend the meal service location. Children do not have to register. Lunch is served starting at 11:00 and lasts until 12:30 with a snack available from 2:00 until 3:00 in the afternoon. The lunch and snack is available Monday through Friday through August 21st except for July 4th when the center will be closed. Meals will be served to children age 18 and under. They are also given to individuals age 18 to 21 that have been determined by a state or local educational agency to be mentally or physically disabled and who participate in an established school program for the mentally or physically disabled. For more information, call 729-2373. Parents can also eat lunch with their children at the Salem Nutrition Center and the cost is $7.00 for their meal.
According to a press release from the Shannon County Firest Responders, the Mercy Emergency Medical Services recently held a ten week training for new Emergency Medical Responders. Fifteen students graduated from the course on June 8th. The class was instructed by Carl Beasley of Mercy and Bethany Busby of Mountain View Fire Department. An EMR is the emergency medical certification level below EMT. The students have studied emergency medicine including how to treat a wide variety of injuries and illnesses. They are trained to work with minimal equipment in a variety of settings such as homes, the forest or river and at automobile wrecks. A few of the more experienced EMRs sat in on the course as a refresher since everyone needs to keep their skills sharp. The role of the First Responder is to arrive on the scene of the emergency before the ambulance arroves and begin care. Some first responders are members of a fire or police department, but there are also two independent first responder organizations in our area that only respond to medical emergencies: the Shannon County First Responders and the Carter County First Responders. A hard-earned congratulations goes out to all of them and our community thanks them for their commitment to step up and help their neighbors.